Three rules for post-pandemic corporate rescues | Financial Post
June 3, 2020 | Given the early-warning signal from bank earnings last week, we should be expecting a wave of business failures in the months ahead, and demands for taxpayer assistance will soon follow. Now is the time for governments to commit to clear principles to guide their response. In this Financial post article, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan and Dr. Paul Boothe explain how we can use lessons from the financial crisis of 2008-09.
Canada needs a new prescription for the pandemic recession | Maclean's
June 2, 2020 | The spread of the COVID-19 virus has resulted in a severe — and unique — recession, which continues to ravage many corners of the Canadian economy. What makes the current "pandemic" recession so different from a "normal" recession, and how should government policy reflect this reality? In this Maclean's article, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan and Dr. Paul Boothe break down the role of governments and the shortcomings of conventional stimulus in this pandemic context.
The Liberals and NDP have embraced contempt for Parliament | The National Post
June 1, 2020 | Recently, a two party agreement was reached in Parliament: the NDP supported the Liberals’ motion to suspend regular sittings of Parliament until September, while the Liberals promised to push for a federal policy guaranteeing 10 days of paid sick leave to workers. Given the social distancing guidelines espoused by health experts, is the continued suspension of in-person Parliamentary proceedings actually in the interest of public health?
Engineering a ‘green recovery’ is a terrible idea | The Globe and Mail
June 1, 2020 | In the coming weeks, the federal government is expected to begin crafting a stimulus package to lift Canada out of the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on which cabinet ministers have been assigned to the project, it seems clear the Liberals want to incorporate their climate goals into the package, addressing climate change and economic recovery at the same time. Is a stimulus package the best way to deal with a pandemic recession?
COVID-19 pandemic unites Canadians like no other event in recent history: study | CTV News
May 25, 2020 | The study co-led by Professor Taylor Owen found that among Canadians, there is cross-partisan consensus on the threat the virus poses and measures that need to be taken to battle it. The study also found that when there isn’t a consensus – which is the case in the United States – compliance with physical distancing guidelines is undermined, which poses an obvious threat.
Opinion: Support Canadians now, but not at the expense of our future | The National Post
May 21, 2020 | In light of the pandemic, governments have moved quickly to support hard-hit workers and businesses. This provision of economic “relief” is different from conventional “stimulus” common during normal recessions. Whereas stimulus policies are all about getting people back to work and businesses back to normal levels of operation, the current relief policies are about replacing people’s incomes while they are safely isolating at home.
COVID-19 pandemic uniting Canadians like no other event in decades
A new study by researchers from McGill University and the University of Toronto finds a cross-partisan consensus on battling COVID-19 in Canada. Unlike in the U.S., this consensus is fostering broad agreement on the threats posed by the pandemic and the actions necessary to contain it – all of which is crucial to efforts to fight the virus.
Forget about schools – open the summer camps in spring | The Globe and Mail
May 6, 2020 | Camps are the solution to many of the problems the school reopening is designed to solve, while significantly mitigating the risks of exposure and transmission. Going to camp gets children out of the house and lets their parents return to work.” Andrew Potter, Associate Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, explains how mass childcare and summer camps are a precursor to restarting the economy in the face of COVID-19.
The coronavirus is costing us more than just our health and economy | The Conversation
May 6, 2020 | “Civil liberties are not designed only for times of peace and stability. They assume special, even critical, importance during public emergencies.” In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergent lockdown policies, Pearl Eliadis discusses the importance of upholding civil liberties.
Do not allow Saudi Arabia’s flogging ban to distract from the repression that still exists | The Globe and Mail
April 30, 2020 | In this op-ed, Irwin Cotler argues that while the recent reforms in Saudi Arabia should be welcomed, the international community, Canada included, cannot give Saudi Arabia a pass.
Give me liberty, and give me death? The enduring legacy of America’s penchant for freedom | The Globe and Mail
April 23, 2020 | For centuries Americans have battled others, and each other, in the name of freedom, sometimes weaponizing the word, sometimes twisting the notion out of recognition. David Shribman comments on the shifting definition of American liberty, and what it means in the context of the current protests against COVID-19 lockdown measures.
A Post-COVID-19 Digital Bretton Woods | Project Syndicate
April 17, 2020 | The digital age has completely disrupted global governance. Now that COVID-19 has disrupted nearly everything else, it is time to start planning for what comes next, say Max Bell School professor Taylor Owen and Rohinton P. Medhora.
Opinion: The dangers of governing Quebec by decree | Montreal Gazette
April 22, 2020 | History has shown that human rights do not co-exist easily with states of emergency. With Quebec’s declaration of a state of emergency, Pearl Eliadis expresses the need to consider how these extraordinary measures will impact the most vulnerable among us.
Chris Ragan on Climate Change and Carbon Pricing | Culture at Crossroads
April 16, 2020 | With climate change being one of the most contentious issues in the 2019 federal election, it has become evident that Canadians are concerned with reducing the national carbon footprint. Despite this, policy responses to this issue have not been united. In this podcast, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan elaborates on the nuances of environmental policy, and how it serves both the economy and the climate.
It's not a crime to disagree with health officials | National Post
April 15, 2020 | In public health discourse, there is a lack of contrarianism, dubbed heterodoxy, that is almost completely missing from the national conservation. Andrew Potter elaborates on the need to question the official response to the pandemic, and the narrowness of the options that we are being given for getting back to normalcy.
